Energy & Environment

How my first fish expedition found a species on the brink of extinction

April 18, 2025

When most people hear about a fishing expedition in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, they might picture researchers snorkeling through coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea or diving into crystal-clear cenotes, surrounded by postcard-perfect scenery.

But nothing I had imagined—or Googled—before my first field trip came close to the reality we faced in our search for pupfishes. We were after something far more elusive: the Laguna Chichancanab adaptive radiation, a group of pupfish species named for the way their tails wag like those of playful puppies. These fish exhibit remarkably different...

Size of tropical glaciers at lowest point in at least 11,000 years

August 5, 2024

Largely melted glacier nestled between rock with a body of water in frontGlaciers are retreating around the world as the planet warms, but scientists have debated how severe the shrinkage is compared to periodic glacial advances and retreats since the end of the Ice Age about 12,000 years ago.

A new study of four glaciers dotting the high Andes in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia shows that, at least in the tropics, the...